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Thursday, July 15, 2010

pretty peapod writes: "I live in a charming little neighbor hood in Michigan. Grand River City. It is a historic district abundant in beautiful parks and trails. My home is an old farmhouse built in 1909. Grapevines and gardens abound. You will often find me outside with dirt under my fingernails, chasing little children and picking herbs. I love my little sub-urban paradise."

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what do you love in a neighbourhood?i asked last year here and here, and i'm delighted to share some of the wise & wonderful sentiments you shared, nicies.

i will so fondly remember our wonderful neighbourhood here in ottawa when we move: it’s so pedestrian-friendly, family-friendly, has a great sense of community, offers access to amazing parks, recreational fun, lovely little spots to grab a teaparty, & amazing schools! i love it!

i heart that dance writes: " It's funny, I don't really live in a "neighbourhood" anymore, but for the first time EVER I feel like I've got neighbours! When we were in {another city}, there were tons of people in a 100 meter radius that I never ever met or barely talked to as we drove to work every day. But now that the next house over is four football fields away I come home to new green beans tied to my doorknob straight from the garden "next door", a knock on my door means the lady three farms down wants me to try out her cranberry muffins (MUCH better than someone trying to sell me better natural gas prices) and the guy one farm over plowed my driveway with his tractor every time it snowed last winter (and yes, pulled me out of a ditch once LOL).

When we moved out here I wondered if I'd be lonely without a "neighbourhood". Turns out you just need neighbours :)"

AEBDesign writes : "I live in the historic district of Hot Springs, AR. My house is a late Victorian. Our street runs around the base of a mountian that is part of Hot Springs National Park. The back of my property actually backs up to the park. We get fox, roadrunners, deer, etc in our yard. We live about 3 blocks from downtown. Hot Springs was the first area specifically set aside to preserve a local environment- the natural hot and cold springs. We are the only city that has the official postal code with "National Park".Tony Bennett sang "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" for the first time here. Al Capone used to reserve an entire floor at one of the local hotels and he had secret tunnels under the city to escape the coppers. Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, various presidents, and many athletes vacationed here "to take the waters". Its a small town (less than 50,000 people) but it is a pretty cool mix of the wilderness and the city."

GildedCageDesign writes: "My neighborhood has streets lined with palm trees. It is full of historic houses. We know most of our neighbors which is 140 houses in the sub division. The neighborhood is called "El Encanto" and was originally founded by a CA company. My house was the first built so a model if you will. No home could be built in El Encanto for under 10K in the 1920's. I love my neighborhood.

beenadolls writes: " I live in a rural area in the lower peninsula of Michigan.Our house is on 20 acres at the end of a long driveway,not visible from the road,which is a main road with lots of traffic.Being so far from the road gives us lots of privacy though,and at night it's so nice to hear the tree frog choirs and the crickets (as long as the latter aren't in the house)

We are smack in the middle of farm country,lots of rolling hills with hay fields,corn fields and many,many beautiful big trees,mostly pines,oaks,and poplars."

meanoldbags writes: "For the most part, I love my neighborhood and most of my neighbors - we are close and adore our chatty mailman. We watch out for each other - celebrate holidays and milestones together - and support one another in times of sadness and need. We are blessed to live in a lush heavily wooded area near Forest Park in Portland Oregon - simply gorgeous! I left most of my blood relatives when I moved here from Colorado - but now I have my Oregon family, I love it. No neighborhood is perfect, but a lot depends on what you make of it:)"

bloomsburygroup writes: "I like privacy, but like being able to say 'hello' when I walk down the street! I live in an English village. We are close to the sea and have the South Downs behind us in the distance!" The local shops and people exude a community feel, and still a little old fashion, which is great! "

ellenray writes: " I live just outside a small midwest town in the country. There are several houses that we can see from our house(before the corn gets too high), and we're friendly with about half of our neighbors. We have a woods and river behind our house, and lots of crops everywhere else. It's a great place to raise kids!"

elanknits writes: "I live in a great neighbourhood. We've got a library, stores, schools & restaurants all in our own little center - Wortley Village - that we can walk to. We're close to downtown London and Old South has lots of character. Beautiful walks, whether you like to check out the wildlife along the river or the interesting architecture (from century homes to ultra modern). We have a variety of festivals through the summer, which officially starts in Old South on the first weekend of June when we have the annual Gathering on the Green."

ColorfulCasual writes: "My neighborhood is heavily wooded with tulip poplar trees. A road winds through it, and about 40 families live here. Idyllic, especially in the heat of the summer! We've literally got it made in the shade!!"

ElloPoppet writes: "I live in the village of Manorhaven in Port Washington, NY. It's mostly 2-3 family houses, lots of pink flowering trees & yellow daffodils, and yellow, red, & purple tulips. Many types of people & families throughout the area. The streets are all alphabetically placed wood streets (Kirkwood -> Linwood -> Marwood, etc). There's a yacht club & boat docking area, and a lovely park with softball fields, tennis courts, and other recreational amenities. I'm within walking distance from the best Sangria I've ever had, as well as my morning coffee, though that is usually obtained on the way to the train station, which is about 8 minutes away. Hubby works in Manhattan, which is about 45 minutes away via Long Island Rail Road, straight into Penn Station. Lucky for me, he works in the Fashion District, so I can tag along occasionally and buy goodies for my craft projects.I'm originally from California and have only been here for just over a year, but I quite like it. I survived my first winter with snow, and even that didn't make me want to move away."

chicki writes: "Here is why I love my neighbourhood.I love to live in a rural neighbourhood. I love the open space and the close knit community we have all created here. I love the freedom of living in the country."

tofunutloaf writes: "My neighborhood is really chill. Most of the houses were built in the 1920s, it's close to downtown, and it's really green right now. It definitely straddles some socio-economic lines as well, and no one cares if you hang your underdrawers out in the back yard to dry.

10 comments:

I thought that too, Elan. I love how community-minded my neighborhood is. There is always a group of folks visiting on the sidewalks when I arrive home from work. I used to feel like rushing past groups like that in other neighborhoods I've lived in. But now I look forward to it all the way home from work!

what a sweet post! our city 'neighbours' are the people we see most days, who work in local cafes + shops etc. having kids really opens up the neighbourhood feeling. love the pieces that you chose to go with the stories. thanks so much for choosing one of mine :)

I love this post. It's interesting to see what people like about their neighbourhoods. Right now, I'm in college, but I'm living in NYC for the summer. Changing homes during the year, it's interesting to see how different neighborhoods have a different feel.

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